


One Piece: Age of the Four Seasons (Spring) - The Oregano Pirates

by the3manweave



Series: One Piece: Age of the Four Seasons [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Action, Adventure, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-17
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-08-15 13:50:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8058775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the3manweave/pseuds/the3manweave
Summary: This Fanfic takes place roughly around the time of The Summit War in Eiichiro Oda's world of One Piece.
The Oregano pirates set sail under the the adventurous and odd young man known as Oregano himself! Oregano hails from the West Blue and is always looking for adventure wherever he goes. Cursed with an unlucky side however, he sets off into the world of piracy while hitting every bump along the way. Despite this, Oregano takes every day in stride as he loves the idea of freedom the open sea brings above all else. 
Come along and follow this goofy, free spirited and very unlucky captain who never seems to have a dull day.





	1. Oregano's Journey Begins!

Disclaimer: We do not own One Piece in any way.

# Oregano's Journey Begins!

### By: peanutbutterlung

**Early Morning on Plisboro Cove**

"Hey Oregano, you up there or what? Little Tilitia is waiting down here for her piano lesson!" A hurried voice shouted from downstairs.

"Ayeee shoot! Yeah I'll be right down bro! Sorry little Tilitia I'm on my way!" Oregano shouted back as he was abruptly shaken out of the dream he was currently enjoying about a heroic dog clad in shining armor. Oregano rubbed his naturally dark circled eyes and proceeded to look over at his alarm that he was sure he had set the night before. It was then that he noticed that the cord had been unplugged and was currently hanging loosely from a fuzzy paw.

Shaking his head at this silly sight, Oregano proceeded to place his feet down onto the floor, stretched a bit, and then walked over to scoop up his snoozing pet Koala from off of his own little bed in the corner of the room. The koala's little nest was a messy assortment of eucalyptus leaves, cheap plastic sunglasses and posters of West Blue's famous pro boxer Bo Stockston. Oregano's room was neat and tidy but his fuzzy pal scattered his own belongings in his little corner without any mind. Once Oregano scooped up his little companion, he placed him securely on his shoulder and proceeded out the door in a hurry, he didn't want to keep little Tilitia waiting.

The koala's name was Polen, and upon being picked up, he began to show that he wasn't too fond of being rushed and jostled about in this manner. The marsupial let out an annoyed grunt or two in a groggy-like manner but soon fully drifted back asleep without too much effort. Oregano was by now too excited however to stop and baby the koala, so he simply pet Polen's fuzzy head in hopes of soothing him. Today was going to be an amazing day! Oregano could simply feel it in his bones.

As Oregano ran down the hall upstairs from his room towards the staircase, he couldn't help but momentarily look down at his sleeping pet on his shoulder with a proud grin, Polen was practically his best friend after all. They had been through everything together, always goofing around or just hanging out ever since he adopted him from a local exotic pet store in town four years ago.

"Our dreams of adventure are about to come true little guy! I can't believe this is the last piano lesson I have to teach! ... I have finally saved up enough beli over these past few years to buy my very own ship!" he whispered. Polen was out cold in dreamland however so these words were mainly just Oregano psyching himself up about the day he had dreamed about for so long.

All this psyching was leading to Oregano getting lost deep in thought about his wishes finally coming true. While in this daze like state however, he still continued to run towards the stairs - That final lesson wasn't going to teach itself you know?

This combination of running towards stairs and utter obliviousness suddenly combined into catastrophe and resulted in many consecutive crashes and helpless yelps from Oregano and Polen alike as they began to tumble wildly down the stairs.

"Oyeee!" Oregano squealed as he went airborne after a hard bounce after landing face-first on a step at the end of the staircase. This falling display he and Polen just experienced ended as dramatically as it started as they eventually rolled down in front of the door where his older brother and little Tilitia were both standing. They both had their hands pressed tight to their faces in complete embarrassment due to what they had just witnessed before them.

This unfortunate event was not yet over for poor Oregano however, as he quickly began to hear the sound of enraged growls coming from beside him. The noises were coming from Polen and the koala suddenly let out a thrashing on Oregano's face. He was tearing into Oregano much like a child would tear into their presents on Christmas morn. This attack was well deserved as far as Polen was concerned - For in his mind he was almost murdered in his sleep. Oregano couldn't help but shout out for mercy as his fuzzy companion let loose on him.

"Poleeeeeeeeen! I'm sorry! Aye stop it you biscuithead! I didn't mean to fall - I'm hurt too ya know?!" Oregano desperately shouted, still temporarily crippled from his terrible fall down the stairs.

Sprawled out pitifully on the ground, and still being attacked by a vicious koala, Oregano looked up towards little Tilitia and his brother hoping one of them would find it in their hearts to remove Polen from scratching his face and body up any more than he already had. Luckily his brother finally managed to pick the koala up off of him after what seemed like a year and a half in Oregano's mind. Then with one fluid motion Polen was tossed into the adjacent kitchen.

"Eat up little guy, Dad made your favorite snack in there." The brother exclaimed as the Koala immediately forgot all about his recent near-death experience and darted to eat the meal that had been prepared for him.

Oregano looked up miserably to his brother with a bleeding, scarred and bruised face. His short brown hair was a mess from just waking up, he was wearing a pajama shirt which read 'Cranberry Ranger' on the front accompanied by a superhero in a red spandex suit. He was sporting soft navy shorts that he had slept in and was still barefoot as well. He was a real mess, but this unfortunately wasn't much different from how he usually looked.

Still wadded up pitifully in the floor, Oregano finally made eye contact with his brother and raised a shaking hand towards him with the last bit of strength he could muster, desperately hoping for comfort from his elder sibling. Much to his dismay he instead received a sudden stomp to the chest ans was shouted at.

"Get up and teach poor little Tilitia! The fact that she has been waiting down here so long for a lazy teacher like you is really just a shame!" The brother began to twist his foot into Oregano's chest as he continued. "Plus you go and pull that act with you falling down the stairs and everything as well! Are you trying to scar the poor child or what?!"

Oregano clumsily rose to his feet after hearing his brother's words, all the while masking his pain and holding back the blood he felt could pour out his nose at any moment. He then softly whispered. "Yes of course, right this way young lady." He then led the red-faced and embarrassed girl in pigtails to the music room for her lesson. His brother on the other hand shook his head as he walked into the kitchen to get some breakfast or coffee before heading to work.

"You can go ahead and start getting warmed up, I need to speak with my brother about something really quick. I'll be right back I promise!" Oregano explained to little Tilitia as he began wrapping his head with a conveniently placed roll of bandages he found on a nearby dresser.

Little Tilitia hesitantly nodded, she was a little relieved that she could finally be by herself for a moment after the drama she had just experienced firsthand. Oregano gave her a quick thumbs up sign as he walked away and into the kitchen where Polen was chewing loudly on the Eucalyptus leaf sushi that had been prepared for him.

Oregano smiled at Polen as he walked past him, seemingly forgetting that a few moments ago, that very same koala was trying to kill him. He then continued his walk towards the kitchen counter where his brother was now hunched over reading today's newspaper. Coffee was brewing behind him.

As Oregano strolled up to the counter he glanced over the paper a time or two in quick succession, and one article managed to catch his eye. The words 'Mysterious Candy Cloud' were in bold and this line grabbed at Oregano's desire for wonder and adventure and it grabbed hard! Before he could get hooked any further however, he was yelled at by his brother who finally noticed he was in the room with him. This yelling came so fast that his interest in the article left him in an instant.

"Why are you not teaching little Tilitia her lesson Oreg?" Oregano's brother questioned. The answer to his own question suddenly hit him though. "Oh oh, I remember now, you told me last week didn't you? This is your last lesson huh?"

Oregano grinned as he replied "You got it Dill! I was just wondering if we were still cool for today about all the plans we made on leaving and such." Oregano responded back to his brother.

Dill took a pause and then continued. "Yeah yeah, right I've got ya. I will get things set up at the force today so that they won't interfere with you as you make your exit."

Dill was trying his best to look cool as he spoke and furrowed his brow as he talked which accented the scar above his right eyebrow. He was a security guard on the island where he and Oregano lived. He was wearing his brown and blue uniform which was clean and ironed and that made him look extra sharp and professional. Unlike Oregano who's hair was straight and short, Dill had frizzy brown hair which stuck out from underneath the cap he was wearing that went along with his uniform. Both boys were average sized, however Dill was fit and muscular where as Oregano was simply a string bean of a young man.

After Dill had finished speaking about getting the plans all squared up, Oregano threw his hands up in the air in sheer joy. "Awesome thanks Dill! I would never be able to get away without you!"

Dill shook his head as he scoffed "Even though you are crazy, you are still my brother and I will always go out of my way for you… Now then, have you finished your goodbye letter to Mom and Dad yet?" Dill asked as he reached for a nearby cup of coffee and took a slow sip of air. The cup was empty but he played it off after realizing he hadn't poured anything into it yet. He had brought up a serious question and didn't want to laugh now of all times.

Oregano nodded back at his brother with a strong face and confident eyes. "That was the hardest thing for me to do, but yeah man it's done. I left it on the nightstand in my room."

Dill nodded as he responded sternly "Well then, I guess I'm off to the station. You go on and teach that last lesson of yours alright pal? Oh and be at the western shore and set sail between the hours of 7:00 and 8:00 pm."

Oregano nodded as he watched his brother head towards the door. Dill's steps began to slow as he neared the exit however and before long he suddenly stopped altogether. With his back towards his kid brother, and with tears streaming down his face he muttered quickly to avoid getting chocked up. "Promise me man… Promise me you will be careful out there." Even if his words were abrupt, Oregano could still hear the waves of emotion in his brother's voice.

So Oregano's eyes too began to leak tears as he sobbed back a reply. "I promise... I will live the ultimate life of freedom out there!"

Dill smiled knowing that his brother would be fine, he nodded his head and proceeded to then leave through the door. As he walked away from the house, thoughts were heavy on his mind, but he never once looked back. This was his way of showing both Oregano and himself that he had complete faith in his brother's decision, and this gesture gave Oregano a tremendous boost in confidence as he watched his brother walk down the pathway away from their house.

Oregano looked up to the clock in the kitchen and saw that it was currently 7:00 am, thus giving him plenty of time before he eventually planned on buying a ship and departing. He then suddenly noticed that little Tilitia had been practicing for quite a darn while now all by herself so he quickly rushed back into the music room and wiped his tears away with one fast swipe.

"Alright Tilitia let's get started shall we?" He said with a grin as he pulled some sheet music off a nearby shelf. "Let's start with this one. It's a favorite of mine called 'The Bees Love Me'." Little Tilitia nodded at his selection and began to play the melody. Whether it was right or wrong, the music sounded heavenly to Oregano who had such high spirits that nothing could possibly bring him down.

After about two hours or so of listening to little Tilitia play the piano the lesson was finally over. Little Tilitia hesitantly pulled out the beli her mother had given her to give to Oregano for the lesson. She looked up at him and smiled "Thank you for these past two years... for teaching me and you know? Stuff."

Oregano smiled back as he took the beli from little Tilitia. He then placed his hand on her shoulder as he proceeded to lead her to the front door. "You sure have come a long way little Tilitia! I know that you will continue to get better and better. Stick with it alright?! I hope to see your name in lights some day playing on some big stage!" Tilitia nodded as she left the house and walked down the path from Oregano's house to the main road and eventually down into the main part of town.

Oregano then began to count the beli he had received "Let's see… alright it's all here! Ah and her Mom even gave me a little extra tip as well! What a sweet lady!" Oregano shouted as he went into the kitchen where Polen was now rummaging through the refrigerator looking for even more food.

"Hey buddy! Easy on the snacking! I still haven't eaten today, plus this is our last day here, we don't want to leave the family with an empty fridge you sucker." Oregano laughed as he eased passed the Koala and got some bread, a bowl of left over soup and some peppered cheese. This certainly wasn't a normal person's breakfast, but Oregano was far from normal.

"Ahh this will do just fine!" Oregano exclaimed as he then prepared his meal and ate. After he was done he looked at the clock and saw it was around 10:00 am. "Alright this is great! Most all of the shops are open in town now. We can go get our starting supplies like food, extra clothes, medical supplies and all that jazz."

Oregano quickly motioned for Polen to come to him as he stood up from the table he was eating at. The Koala quickly scurried off into a backroom before coming back however because he couldn't be seen in public without looking all clean and fresh in his favorite green, yellow and red striped baseball cap and a pair of his infamous black 'cool' shades.

He absolutely had to look cool before going into town. Oregano just laughed as Polen jumped and ran up his extended arm and propped himself snugly on his shoulder. Oregano then hurried up the stairs to his room and gathered up his beli that he kept in a box under his bed. He folded the stack and put it in his pocket. As he left the room the letter that he left his parents caught his eye. His eyes began to water but he knew everything would be fine. He bolted back down the stairs and out the door. It was time to buy supplies for his grand voyage!

**Meanwhile at the Security Station**

Dill had by now reached the security station located downtown where he worked as a security officer for the past four years. As he entered the station and whipped around a few corners he finally reached the time clock and was about to check in, however right before he could punch his card he heard a soft whisper from behind him say. "I can't wait to see the fireworks at the western shore tonight!" Then a second voice quickly added "I know! I here it is going to be the biggest fireworks show Plisboro Cove has ever seen! I hope we can get off early tonight! This is sure to be a great showing for our town's Fiftieth Anniversary!"

Dill's heart sank deep into his chest as the urge to vomit quickly flowed over him upon hearing this terrible news. Normally these words would be a great thing to hear, but with what he and Oregano had planned, this was simply terribly unlucky timing at it's best. How could he have not remembered? 'Whew ok, ok, ok calm down Dill, calm down maybe the celebration is at a different time than when Oregano is setting sail' Dill hesitantly tried to reassure himself in his head.

He then turned around to his fellow officers and quickly spat out. "Say! What time is the event starting today you two?" His words came out fast and nervous, and the two officers gave him a sly look for not knowing when such a special event was being held. After a few more seconds of yanking Dill's chain through a series of facial expressions showing their disbelief, they finally answered in unison. "7:00 pm."

Dill began to sweat profusely. "Oregano! I have to go warn him!" Dill gulped as he quickly pivoted to made a quick turn only to then find himself surprisingly face to face with the chief officer of the Plisboro Cove Security Station. He was a gristly looking man with oddly leathery skin. He was Head Chief Mutton and much like his name, he sported a mean pair of mutton-chop sideburns which framed his yellowish tinted face which wasn't the result from jaundice, he simply had a weird complexion.

"Now then, where do you think you are off to, officer Dill? You're just the man I was looking for. I need you to come file a stack of paperwork on my desk roughly a meter high, got it? You can't be running off now, it is very important that we get this paperwork filed before the celebration tonight. Capiche?"

Dill's soul itself began to cry as he hung his head and followed the chief into his back office. 'Oregano you're on your own. I know you won't do anything crazy... Right?' These words seemed ridiculous the more he thought about it, he was almost positive his brother would in fact do something crazy.

**Roughly Eight Hours Later on the Western Shore of Plisboro Cove**

Oregano laughed happily as he looked at all the bags of supplies that he had gathered before him from shopping in town all day. He was now finally set for his journey. The bags were currently sitting on the ground in front of a ledge overlooking an inlet area on the western shore.

The boat shop he was going to buy from was located just below this ledge on the side of a bay that made up part of the inlet below. As he looked down at the many docks where boats were currently docked and gently swaying he decided to soak things in and catch his breath before scaling the cliff before him. Sure there was an easier way to get down to the shop, but Oregano was being stubborn and decided he was already here so he would just suck it up and take the hard way.

Polen was already snoozing away like usual on Oregano's shoulder from the busy day of shopping that they had just experienced. Oregano softly pet the koala's fuzzy head to soothe the marsupial as he slept deeply. Just as Oregano was about to begin down the cliff-face, it wasn't long before he began to hear voices coming from behind him. "Hmm what's with all the voices?" Oregano questioned as he turned to see flocks of people heading his direction with tables, chairs, food and boxes galore.

"Dill what in the world are all these people doing here?" Oregano questioned out loud. He had no clue about the celebration that was about to occur tonight just like his brother. He regularly would have had an idea due to the many signs and conversations he walked past while purchasing goods in town earlier today, but he was so deep into thinking about his trip that he was completely oblivious to it all.

"Hmm well I better get out of their way." He whispered to himself as he saw more and more people heading his way. He had no idea how big the event was going to be or how long it would last, but he trusted that Dill had taken care of things, so he figured it might just be a quick fling and that the people that had shown up were going to be the only ones to do so. So with that he scooped up all of his bags and began to scale the rocky cliff as he headed towards the boat shop beneath him.

After much time and effort, Oregano finally made it down the cliff. This was a big deal for he had almost fallen a good dozen times or so, but he managed to secure his footing fast enough every time before falling and he didn't even wake his feisty koala from his slumber or drop any bags. Not even one!

Now that he had finally reached the bottom, he plopped his bags onto the sandy walkway that led to the front door of the shop and decided to quickly approach it. He then excitedly knocked on the door until a latch was heard which was then followed by the door being swung open with great vengeance. In the doorway now stood a massively tall lady that Oregano guessed to be around 11 ft. tall. Talk about a tall glass of water huh? She was lanky and had a grey complexion with hair to match.

The woman's face was perturbed and let out a frustrated moan. "Here I was already closed down and ready to leave early for the show tonight and then you just have to pop up! This better be good... What do you want?"

Oregano quickly laughed. "I'm sorry lady, I'll be fast I promise! I already have all my money ready and everything!" The lady let out a grunt as she walked out passed Oregano and motioned for him to follow her. "You better be fast kid." She said as she led the way around the shop to the boat docks. "What's a kid like you want a boat for anyways? Especially tonight of all nights, I mean buying one now means you won't … oh well I don't really care." She quietly muttered to herself realizing that trying to understand oddballs like this guy was often too much work.

Oregano all the while immediately began to scan the ships for the one he had had his eye on for the past couple months now. He didn't want to hold the lady up any more than he had to. She seemed a little on the ornery side.

"Ahhh there she is!" He pointed happily at a beautiful cherry wood finished ship at the end of one of the docks. The boat was a small sized caravel and at the front of it was a figurehead of a cherry tree branch stretching outward covered in cherries and blossoms alike. The boat lady smirked. "So you want the good old Cherry Maria huh?"

Oregano grinned at the name of the boat. He liked it a lot and responded "Heck yeah!" He reached in his pocket and pulled out his beli. "Here you are take my beli please!"

The boat lady looked down at Oregano and she took the beli from his hands and counted it. A sudden frown came to her face as she handed it back to him. "I'm afraid you don't have enough kid."

Oregano was hit with a wave of confusion. "Whaaaaat!? I know I had enough! I even had extra saved up. I have been planning to by that specific ship for months!" Oregano desperately recounted his beli to find that the boat lady was indeed correct about him being short. He must have lost some while shopping in town today.

"Save some more up and maybe you can come back some other time, besides we should both be heading to the celebra..." The boat lady was cut off as a sudden and unexpected boom was heard from atop the cliff overlooking her shop. A massive red flare was then seen heading directly towards the docks loaded with ships, it was spiraling rapidly down from the sky.

A loose firework had accidentally gone off and was now shooting out of control. "My precious ships they could all go up in flames if that touches down!" The boat lady shouted knowing this flare could very easily wipe out any or all of her collection of boats if one caught fire.

Oregano was already on the scene however and instantly reached down for his flintlock pistol that he had tucked in the front of his pants and took aim. He would have preferred his rifle but that was currently mixed in with his supply bags. This was because a rifle was pretty hard for a guy to walk around with in his home village without being stopped or questioned. In downtown Plisboro most people knew his face and he feared news would spread to his Mom and Dad about him totting his rifle around and his escape would be in jeopardy.

As the flare continued to descend towards the docks "Don't worry." Was Oregano's fast reply to quickly reassure the boat lady he had things under control. As he spoke he followed the flare with his pistol for a mere second and then fired. A direct hit was made causing the firework to extinguish immediately and fall to the rocky coast below.

Oregano smiled once he knew the crisis had been averted and was about to speak to the boat lady, when suddenly he was picked up and squeezed tight. "Yoouuuu saved my boats!" The lady yelled as she continued to hug Oregano.

While this was happening Oregano was not able to breathe but he managed to give the lady a thumbs up which finally led to her putting him back down. "Listen the boat is all yours! No charge at all young man! You may have just very well saved my entire business!"

Oregano jumped up into the air with joy upon hearing this. His confusion about how and why a firework randomly went off was wiped from his mind completely upon hearing this glorious news. This jump for joy however finally woke up his pet koala that had been sleeping through all of this commotion up until now. Polen then let out a yawn and hopped off Oregano's shoulder to explore the docks. Oregano was relieved he wasn't attacked - Fortunately for him Polen immediately became interested in this new location once he saw where he was currently at and had to go check things out.

"Thank you so much boat lady!" Oregano exclaimed as he ran by her to get his bags off the shore. He grabbed them all and ran back down the dock to where the Cherry Maria was docked. She was waiting for him, his very own ship! This realization left him with a huge goofy grin that stayed glued to his face as he began to load up all of his supplies. "Come on Poleeeeeeeeen!" He then shouted once the supplies were all loaded up and accounted for. The koala's ears perked as he popped his fuzzy head up from a nearby ship that he had been investigating. He didn't really want to quit exploring, and normally wouldn't be so complaisant, but due to still being a little groggy from just waking up he decided to scurry towards Oregano's call.

"Well now I think we are all set!" Oregano hollered to the boat lady once Polen made it on-board. The boat lady who at this point was still in tears from witnessing her boats being saved before her eyes replied. "Yes she is all yours but are you really leaving right now?" The lady was wondering if he was really not going to wait to see the celebration tonight.

"Yes! My dream of adventure begins tonight!" Oregano responded. The old lady simply shook her head as she gave the boy and koala a wave. "Well then good luck Mr. Adventurer. Thanks again!"

Oregano waved back as he then pulled up the anchor and set off from the docks.

Once the ship was a good distance away he walked over to the large white sails flapping in the wind above him and shook his head. "No, no, no, these won't do." He muttered as he then proceeded to dig through his bags.

Meanwhile a shout finally called out from the cliff top "Hey we heard a gunshot! Is everything alright down there? Oh and sorry about the loose firework that went your way, luckily we saw it fade out and die huh?" They added not thinking the two were connected in any way.

The boat lady then shouted "Yes we are fine down here. I just made a quick sale to this kind young man and I am now on my way up to the celebration. I have wonderful news to tell of a heroic feat I just witnessed as well!" The celebration goers were relieved that everything was alright but felt the Security Force should still know about the possible gunshot. Much to their luck the officers soon began showing up to the event and were notified about the mysterious shooting before the boat lady could tell the real story. This news worried the Force so a few officers called in for some binoculars to be brought so they could search the bay for any trouble makers trying to interfere with the celebration.

Back on the boat as Oregano looked through the various bags he had brought with him, Polen decided to go explore the new ship some. The ship was fairly small sized and had an under-deck cabin with a small living area, a kitchen and sleeping quarters to boot. After Polen's survey of the ship was completed, he became content with the ship and all it had to offer. This would be his home now so it was important that it passed his test. Upon completion, Polen decided to make a nest out of some branches scattered loosely about on the top deck. These branches had fallen from trees that hung off the cliffs the boat had been docked under and proved to be incredibly comfy for Polen as it wasn't long until he took another nap. Oregano was watching Polen out of the corner of his eye as he continued to look through his bags."Lazy koala."

Meanwhile back on land Dill was running towards the celebration site as fast as he possibly could. He was late because of all the paperwork that got piled on him by the chief. "Crap! Oregano please don't tell me you are going to leave and set out in front of all these people! Ahh plus Mom and Dad will definitely be at the celebration tonight! Our plan is not going as planned bro!"

Oregano was now out a good distance from the docks and was now directly in front of the bay the celebration was being held at. Suddenly a few starting fireworks went off to start the celebration and this took Oregano's attention away from his bags momentarily.

"Ah wow so beautiful!" He whispered as he looked up into the sky towards the sparkling blooms or radiant color before him. Then looking back down at the cliff top he finally realized just how many people were present and he couldn't believe his eyes. "Dill you pigeon head! Could all of this be your doing? Did you… make me a going away celebration!?"

"Oregano shouted out with joy all the while trying to make sense of things. He began to tear up as he heard shouts coming from the cliff. "Gosh I have the best brother in the world! Telling me he was going to make the bay empty and then… wow pretty much getting everyone in Plisboro to see me off on my journey! I can't believe all these people support me. Mom, Dad could you be up there too?" He whispered.

Then wiping the tears from his eyes he looked back down at his bags and finally found what he had been looking for. A Jolly Roger! He had made it himself and it really wasn't anything flashy but it did the job. He attached it to a rope and began to raise it up the mast. It was a simple black flag with two smiling green skulls separated by his name written vertically between them.

As he raised the flag, it was about that time however that the Security Force got a hold of the binoculars they had requested and they immediately set their sights directly on Oregano. "PIRATE!" One officer immediately shouted as he zoomed in on the black flag! A terribly frantic uproar followed the shout as the people of Plisboro Cove all noticed the black flagged ship before them. The boat lady simply fell to her knees as she shook her head. "That boy… that boy is using my ship… that boy is a … pirate!" She muttered not knowing how to react especially after the heroic deed that he had done for her just minutes ago. She hadn't even had time to tell anyone about the story of her ships being saved.

"Find out who that pirate is!" One officer from the Security Force called out. The binocular holding officers focused in on the ship and began to sweat. Suddenly a shout came from behind the crowd "What's going on?!" It was Dill, and he pushed through the frantic citizens towards the edge of the cliff to see what he really hoped he wouldn't see.

But much to his dismay, there was Oregano in all his glory, in his brand new ship, with a pirate flag just a flapping in the wind in front of the entire town. "Dill that's your damn little brother down there!" One officer shouted to Dill after seeing he had appeared on the scene. Dill simply shook his head. 'You sure know how to leave an impact don't you, you little brat?' Dill thought to himself as he gritted his teeth. He then proceeded to pull his cap down tight in front of his eyes. 'What now!?'

"Oregano! What is my little angel doing down there?!" A shriek called out from a lady wearing a red dress with long brown hair and a yellow bandanna came running forward towards Dill.

"Sheesh that boy never learns does he?" Another voice followed with a laugh. The voice belonged to a grinning man with a beer belly and gray hair. These were Oregano and Dill's parents.

"Dill did you know about this!? You get my baby back right now! Right this minute you hear me mister?!" The mother shouted in an incredibly flustered manner.

"Now, now honey, maybe this is what the boy wants." The father chipped in.

"Noooo! Chives what kind of reasoning is that!? He is my poor little baby boy and I need to protect him from the harsh world out there! You've read the news about the wave of pirates Whitebeard motivated and everything! The seas are too dangerous!" The mother countered desperately trying to get her son back.

As all this commotion was going on onshore, Oregano was currently waving as he rode the evening breeze further and further away from Plisboro cove. He had no idea about the spectacle that he was causing atop the cliff. He simply couldn't believe his adventure was finally happening and that he was getting this kind of a send-off party. Then hoping his parents were on the cliff as well as Dill Oregano shouted.

"I know I left you a letter at home but I feel a goodbye in person is much better! Mom, Dad, Dill! Thank you for everything! I will miss you all so much but don't worry! I am going to have the time of my life out at sea! I will be sure to make my mark! I'll be back in a couple years or so and I will have so many stories to tell you!"

Oregano's family began to tear up at the words they heard as they all responded with the only phrase they could muster. "WE LOVE YOU OREGANO!"

Oregano smiled after hearing this and he began to well up with tears as well. His family supported his dream and that was all he needed to hear.

This heart-warming scene was suddenly interrupted however as the Security chief's voice cracked out over the situation at hand and what he said ruined the moment that all the townspeople were experiencing with Oregano and his family entirely.

"Ready the cannons men!" Were the words that boomed over the surrounding area. Mobile cannons had been rolled up from an armory that was built not too far from the hilltop everyone was currently located. The cliff provided an exceptional location for bombarding threats like invading pirate ships so an armory was built nearby to take advantage of this.

The statement regarding cannons echoed through the townspeople's hearts. They were witnessing a boy living out his dreams as well as his family's strong support. They had been so relieved to see that it was Oregano and that he was in fact a kind-heated pirate and not one that was planning on attacking the village like they had previously feared. But now the boy they all knew was going to be the target of cannon fire!

Dill was shocked by his chief's order and began to run towards him. Halfway through his run however he managed to stop himself and look out at Oregano's ship. He focused on the sight before him, especially on that pirate flag that was flapping in the breeze. "I can't baby you anymore can I? You told me you would be strong and not to worry didn't you?" Dill whispered to himself. It was a moment of realization that led him to recognize his brother's growth as a man.

Dill then walked back to his Mother and Father only to see that his Dad had come to the same conclusion that he had. His father was currently having to hold Oregano's mother back with all his might however. She was cursing up a storm and wanted to kill the chief with everything she had. Dill calmly told her to respect Oregano's decision but it fell on deaf ears. She wanted to save her baby too bad to hear any words that didn't involve attacking the chief in some manner.

Cannon fire immediately sounded from the top of the cliff as the chief then shouted "Pirate scum! You deserve what you get for having the nerve to ruin this celebration with your image! You don't get to disgrace us and get away with it!"

Six cannons were now flying towards Oregano. "Oh wow! So much for a goodbye celebration!" Oregano laughed as he quickly ran to a bag he had set to his side. He reached inside and pulled out his rifle.

"Well time to show my family first hand that I can handle myself!" The six cannon balls were closing in and were beginning to fall from their peaks. "Let's see here…" Oregano muttered as Polen continued to sleep on his make-shift nest made of branches.

'Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!... Crack!' Each cannon ball shattered into pieces midair as a rifle bullet pierced right through the center of each one. The crowd watched in awe as Oregano was now too far out to be hit by any further attempts that could be made to hinder him. He had successfully escaped.

Oregano's Mom was bawling back at the cliff top but after seeing this display she was comforted just a little bit. Not like she would admit it though of course. Oregano's father however let out an enormous belly laugh in response to the scene "That's my son for ya!" he shouted.

Dill shook his head as he simply smiled. "Now where the hell did you learn how to shoot like that? I teach you the basics one day and you show me you can do something like this?" He let out a slight laugh and wrapped his arm around his Mother and Father.

The boat lady was still in shock at everything that had just occurred. "Well... at least he is a good pirate I suppose."

Even little Tilitia was there and let out a smile as she whispered to a group of friends she was with. "That's my goofball piano teacher I was always telling you about. I guess he is a pirate now."

Security Chief Mutton was flabbergasted at the display before him and threw his hat on the ground in disgust. He couldn't believe he let the pirate slip through his fingers and because of this began to stomp his hat on the ground in a fit of rage. Once he realized he was making a scene he quietly cursed and spat about under his breath and walked away. "Stupid pirate coming in and ruining our celebration! ... Ugh Oregano was it? I'll make sure the Marines here about you.."

**Meanwhile back on the Cherry Maria**

Oregano put his rifle down and smiled as Plisboro Cove began to disappear in the distance. "Hey Polen! How about we get all moved in now buddy!? We can rest after that alright?"

Oregano had to holler at the koala a couple times until Polen lazily managed to get up and carry some bags downstairs into the cabin. The two organized the supplies among the kitchen, living area and sleeping quarters until everything looked like it was in the proper spot. He and Polen then waddled sluggishly into the kitchen, they were pretty tired from the exciting day that just experienced and sat down on some stools.

"Who knows what tomorrow will have in store for us Polen? Our adventure has now officially started!" Oregano shouted still half way expecting to wake up now from this all being a dream. After pinching himself a half dozen times he came to the conclusion that this was in fact real life. After he began to bruise a bit from the pinches he laughed a bit then looked at the clock hanging in the kitchen and realized that they should probably be getting some rest now.

He opened the door to the sleeping quarters and the two hoped into their beds. "We will have an amazing day tomorrow Polen. I can feel it!" Oregano said as the two began to drift off to sleep to the rocking of the Cherry Maria on the waters of the West Blue.


	2. Finally Out at Sea!

Disclaimer: We do not own One Piece in any way.

# Finally Out at Sea!

### By: peanutbutterlung

**Morning on the Cherry Maria**

Sunlight began to trickle through the blinds hanging from the windows in the sleeping quarters of the Cherry Maria. The light slowly crept up the bed that Oregano was currently snoozing on and finally made its way upon his shut dark circled eyes. Oregano clenched his eyelids tightly as a result of this to keep the light out, but in doing so he began to wake up.

Once he came to, he threw off his covers and swung his feet out of bed in one fluid motion. His feet landed on the floor beside his bed with a thump, it was time to start the day.

"Ayee! It's the first full day at sea!" He quietly whispered as he noticed Polen was still asleep in his bed. "I'll let him get a little more sleep." Oregano murmured with a smile as he proceeded into the washroom that connected to the sleeping quarters.

Upon walking into the room he started off by taking a quick shower that managed to finish waking him up, he then took a towel and quickly rubbed it over his short brown hair. When he removed the towel and looked in the mirror two points of hair stuck out from the rest. These points were cowlicks that he had always had ever since he was a kid, one on his hair line that stuck off to the left and the other at his crown that pointed forward.

As he continued to look in the mirror he also noticed his beard was beginning to get a bit fuller as opposed to being stubble from where he had shaved a few days before. After his beard inspection was over he began to brush his teeth and then came back out into the sleeping quarters, towel wrapped around his waist and all. It was time to put on some clothes.

He looked for his shorts in the dresser next to his bed trying to remember where he put them last night while moving all his items into the ship. His eyes finally caught them, they were olive green and he placed his legs inside the leg holes and he pulled them up.

He grabbed his belt and tightened his shorts tight enough so that they would stay on his waist yet also be loose enough for them to still be comfy. He then snagged one of his favorite t-shirts off of its hanger in the closet. The shirt was Kelly green and had a smiling brown bear face on the front with the word 'Bees?' underneath it in 'drippy gooey' red letters. It also had a faded burgundy stripe going across the middle of the shirt behind the bear face to add an extra touch of detail.

Oregano smiled as the soft worn shirt slid onto his body. The next article of clothing Oregano added was his lucky orange windbreaker that he spotted hanging on a cabinet door. He grabbed the windbreaker and flipped it over by the sleeves and let it slide down and onto him along his outreached and upright arms. The windbreaker was very baggy and had maroon and teal stripes on the torso and on the sleeves.

Oregano then pulled out his sock drawer and yanked his high black socks up his legs and then proceeded to slip his feet into his navy blue and neon green sneakers. His overall mixing and matching of the colors he wore helped others realize he was colorblind... or deranged... or maybe even both.

"Whew alright then, I am all ready to go now!" Oregano laughed in delight while wondering what the day had in store for Polen and himself. He then quietly approached the sleeping Koala to wake him up for the exciting day awaiting them. He gently rested his hand on Polen's shoulder and softly rocked him back and forth as he whispered "Come on buddy let's go see what the open sea looks like today! It's a wonderful day outside from the looks of it!"

Polen wasn't caring much at all for this rocking back and forth and when it finally hit him that he was trying to be woken up he opened his eyes and let out a 'Death Stare' that pierced right into Oregano's very soul. "Aghhhhh! Polen what is with that face!?" Oregano shrieked as he backed away from the koala in terror. Polen softly sighed in contentment as a slight smirk appeared on his face while he immediately drifted back to sleep.

Oregano shook his head as he couldn't help but laugh at his silly companion who nearly scarred him half to death. "Haha alright pal, come on up to the top deck when you are ready to wake up. I'll fix us some breakfast soon." And with that Oregano left the sleeping quarters, walked through the living area and made it to the steps leading to the upper deck.

He hurried up the stars in excitement and opened up the door to see the beautiful day out at sea that was waiting for him. He rushed out onto the deck and looked up at the sky in hopes of seeing the sun that had just woke him up earlier, however right as he looked up a raindrop landed right on his face. Then much to his dismay a sudden mass of gray clouds swarmed over the sky and seemed to mock Oregano as they completely blocked the sun from sight. The clouds immediately let out a downpour of rain and a crash of thunder accompanied Oregano's second shower of the day. He quickly put the hood of his windbreaker up over his head with a flip and let out a sigh. "Of course it just had to rain..."

Although this was a let down to a degree, Oregano wasn't about to let this weather get the best of him. Even if it was incredibly disappointing that he couldn't soak up some sun, the scene before him on the open West Blue made up for everything. The wide open ocean was mesmerizing. He walked over to the side of the Cherry Maria and proceeded to lean up against it with his elbows resting on the edge. He couldn't believe how beautiful the sea was. Even if it was raining, the tiny ripples made from the drops landing on the sea made for a soothing sight as the waves swept gently back and forth.

After about twenty minutes of looking out at the sea and messing around on the deck, Oregano noticed the wind was starting to pick up a great deal. He looked up to his sails and saw that they were catching a great deal of the wind. The wind seemed to be coming in at a very nice pace. Oregano knew very little about sailing and navigating, but he knew enough to understand when he should raise the sails in harsh weather and when to take advantage of such a blessing so he decided to leave his sails down and began to sail through the water at a rate as fast as the wind would take him.

Oregano was now very pleased with the speed they were traveling at. He wondered when the first island would appear out on the horizon for them to see, but figured only time would tell since he had no idea where they were currently heading. He gave his surroundings one last look-over and nodded his head as he turned to the door leading to the lower level. He then walked down the steps towards the living area and out of the rain that he had been in for a while now. He didn't want to stay out too long in order to prevent himself from getting sick. What a drag that would be to get ill the first day of his adventure.

Once he reached the bottom of the steps he hung up his wet windbreaker and walked over to sit down on the sofa in the living area. He then and decided to pick up the newspaper his brother Dill had been reading yesterday that he had brought with him from his house. As he began to read and skim over the articles in the paper, he remembered the article about some 'candy cloud in the sky raining candy' that caught his eye yesterday. It was probably some hoax but Oregano always hoped that these articles held at least some truth to them. It was the adventurer in him that led him to dreaming big about such mysteries and tales. As he scanned the paper for the article about the cloud he quickly put that though on pause once he saw what was on the front page. What it said hit him hard. 'Whitebeard Dead!' were the words written in bold.

Oregano was unaware that a war between the Marines and Whitebeard had even happened. He had been too busy teaching piano lessons every day and working at his father's restaurant in the kitchen for extra beli over the past couple months getting ready for his voyage to even pay attention to world events.

In order to catch up on what had happened he dedicated his time to reading the article to find out just what all had happened. After reading he simply shook his head. "Wowie this is blowing my mind big time!" He muttered as he scratched his head. "I really picked an interesting time to enter this wild world of piracy huh?" He laughed.

Then turning the page he saw article titles varying quite a bit in interesting news tidbits. One article titled 'Pollution Problem Reaches All-Time High' caught his eye and as he continued to read more he learned how this problem was taking place on an island in the the grandline named Baltric Flats. Apparently this island was under a lot of stress due to some irresponsible shipwright who had severely depleted the island's resources and had carelessly spilled or dumped waste directly into the ocean.

Oregano turned to the next page hoping to see news of a lighter and happier tone. On this next page he saw that it listed local news from the West Blue. The first article he saw described an island known as Sycamore Isle and how many scientific breakthroughs were occurring there ever since the arrival of a corporation called Skrullton Labs. "Ah now there is some good news!" Oregano whispered to himself. He looked up under the title of the article and saw that it was written by Jaleel Nakeem, a journalist from Las Camp Daily Journal. "Thanks for some good news Jaleel!" Oregano laughed.

The second article on this local news page described how the Mozorella Kingdom had recently joined up with the World Government. Oregano remembered hearing mention of this Kingdom back when he was in school at the Plisboro Cove Academy, but besides the name he didn't know much of anything about it.

All of these articles were exceptionally interesting to Oregano and were the perfect early morning read for him on this rainy day as he continued to wait for his silly koala to wake up for breakfast. He was really enjoying getting filled in on world events since he had been so overloaded lately and had really gotten behind on the news department.

He then turned the newspaper to the very back page and was hit with incredible anticipation once he saw the article title that he had seen yesterday in the kitchen. It was the article about the 'Mysterious Candy Cloud'!

As he read, word had it that the cloud has been spotted drifting through the skies over West Blue by multiple witnesses on various different islands. Oregano was intrigued greatly by this news and learned that rumor had it that candy was actually falling from this mysterious cloud on islands that it passed over. Oregano now understood why it was labeled 'candy cloud'. The article described how as of now no pictures had been taken of this illusive traveling cloud, but more and more sightings were being called in every day about a pink cloud drifting through the sky.

Oregano shook his head in disbelief, by now he had convinced himself that this was no hoax, he could just feel it. He began to wonder what a cloud like that could contain and his excitement began to rise. "I am going to find that cloud!" He shouted when he couldn't contain his joy any more. "What an awesome adventure it will be!" he exclaimed.

Suddenly a thud was heard coming from behind him and Oregano whipped his head around to see what it was. When he turned around he watched as Polen slowly strutted out of the sleeping quarters. He was wearing his yellow, green and red tri-colored baseball cap. On the front of the hat the word 'CHAMP' shone in holographic gold letters with a fancy royal blue outline around them. Polen was also wearing his 'Cool Shades' that were much too large for him but he liked them and that was all that mattered to him.

Polen stopped strutting once he saw Oregano was watching him from the sofa and lowered his shades to make eye contact with him. This 'cool' persona lasted for only a couple more seconds after eye contact was made however, for Polen quickly gave up and put his paws to his tummy and let out a weak grunt as he fell to his knees "Ehhhhhhh!" The Koala grunted in hopes of making himself look as pitiful as he possibly could. In his mind he was currently 'dying' of hunger.

Oregano busted up laughing at this sight and rolled off the sofa "Hahaha what is with that act Poleeeeeen!? You are killing me!" He hollered as he gasped for air. Polen was not enjoying the loud mocking of his impeccable acting talent. He had worked hard to prepare a real, raw and relatable scene to convey his hunger and was now quickly becoming filled with rage. He ran over to where Oregano was laughing and pounced on top of him where he then began to gnaw and scratch wildly.

"Awwwww! Poleeeeeen! I was just kidding! I'll go make us some breakfast right now!" Oregano yelped as the koala continued his attack which eventually turned into a playful wrestling match that ended with both Oregano and Polen smiling and laughing in the end. "Alright Polen that was a pretty good match buddy! Just what we needed before a nice rewarding breakfast! We have to be tough on this wild sea you know?!" Oregano exclaimed as he rubbed Polen's furry head. Polen nodded happily as he pushed his shades back up on his nose and began to do his 'tough guy' impersonations that consisted of him doing ridiculous poses and flexes.

Oregano grinned as he shook his head at how goofy his koala was and then proceeded to the kitchen to fix the two some breakfast. Oregano's father was a masterful chef and had taught Oregano the basics on how to cook food in his very own style. The style was known as Habu-Habu and it consisted of using many herbs and spices to prepare meals. It was because of this that Oregano felt extremely confident in the kitchen and could prepare meals in a relatively quick manner as well. Food supplies were what he valued above all else while shopping back on Plisboro. This was due mostly in part to him not knowing where he was necessarily heading on this adventure so he stocked up enough food for around a month. Plus due to the Habu-Habu style the herbs and spices luckily preserved the food longer than usual if push came to shove.

It wasn't long before Oregano was done with their first breakfast and he called to Polen to let him know. However the little koala did not come running, he was nowhere to be seen. "Hmm did he sneak up on the top deck?" Oregano whispered as he walked up the steps to the upper deck to look around for his koala.

The rain had stopped and the wind wasn't blowing as hard as it had been when he stepped out onto the deck earlier. It was very calm now and it was a very pleasant change indeed. Then remembering he was looking for Polen he let out a call. "Oyeeee Polen! Breakfast is ready!" After this call a grunt came from above Oregano, causing him to peer up at the mast of his ship. Polen was propped up on the Crow's Nest and pointing rapidly to his left. Oregano followed Polen's instructions and much to his amazement he saw land in the distance!

"Polen! Nice eyes!" Oregano shouted as he jumped into the air. He was shocked that they would find an island so soon but he was happy that they did. "Looks like you found your role on the ship eh Polen? I got myself a lookout!" Polen nodded happily as he ran circles around the edge of the Crow's Nest with pride at what he had just done.

Oregano let out a belly laugh as he shouted up at him. "Alright get down here Poleeeeeen! Breakfast is ready! We can eat and then we can get ready for the island!" Polen stopped showboating immediately at the mention of food and scurried down the mast of the ship only to then leap down on top of Oregano's head nearly making Oregano topple over.

"Phew! Polen be careful!" Oregano cried as he regained his balance. Then he ran over to the steering wheel turned the rudder towards the landmass out in the distance and smiled. "Wonder what that island is gonna be like?!" He exclaimed as he then headed down the steps with his koala still lazily riding on his head.

**Meanwhile a Den Den Mushi Call is taking place back on Plisboro Cove**

"Alright chief your call is being sent to the Marine Base on Oion as you requested!" A flustered Plisboro cove security officer shouted towards the chief as quickly as he could.

"Good!" The chief remarked with a scowl as he picked up the den den mushi beside him waiting for an answer from Oion. After three rings a voice on the other end could be heard. "You have reached the 119th Marine Branch, may I ask who is calling and what we may do for you?" This comment sounded incredibly rehearsed yet the receptionist was still quite cheerful despite likely repeating this line multiple times a day.

"Yes, this is Head Chief Mutton from the Plisboro Cove Security Force, calling to speak with Captain Bleucubber on a matter of piracy." The head chief responded.

"Oi certainly Chief Mutton I will redirect your call now." The cheerful receptionist responded.

A few moments later a very gruff voice picked up the call."Mutton, what news do you have for me today?" Captain Bleucubber questioned wondering what issue would now be brought to his attention.

Head Chief Mutton cleared his throat as he began to tell Captain Bleucubber of Oregano and the incident last night. After hearing the story that was filled with many exaggerations to persuade the Captain into seeing Oregano as a high threat, Bleucubber responded with an agitated grunt. "You want me to send my men out to catch some punk pirate who just now set out to the sea? That does not sound like an urgent piracy threat to me with all due respect Mutton. Besides, you have a Military Base of your own on Plisboro Cove, what was it now? Base 299 was it?"

Mutton could not take anymore of this, Oregano had ruined the celebration and he was going to do everything he could do to make him pay. "Captain Bleucubber! Trust me this young pirate will prove dangerous and he has no respect for the general public!" Then catching his breath he continued "And yes, we do have Base 299 here… but as I'm sure you know it is far too small to launch its limited resources towards catching a single rouge pirate. All of its time is dedicated to managing the areas of Plisboro that my Security Force doesn't."

A long pause was heard on the other end of the line until Bleucubber spoke up with a slight bit of annoyance in his voice. "When did this pirate leave and what direction?" Mutton eye's quickly narrowed as he responded. "I have already calculated that! He should be approaching Yortori Rise in a couple of hours." He was thrilled that Bleucubber was beginning to give in.

Bleucubber let out a huff. "Yortori Rise huh? That's one of '8-Fold' Remey's frequent stops as of late. I'm sure you've heard of him. Rookie pirate that just started up a couple months ago and already has a bounty of 16 million. He doesn't know we are on to his frequent stops and whereabouts, but we are." Then with a slight laugh Bleucubber continued "Alright Mutton I will send a ship of my men to Yortori Rise to capture this Oregano fellow. Heck, that is if he isn't taken out by that '8-fold' Remey first that is."

Chief Mutton gritted his teeth as a devilish grin spread over his face. "Excellent, you have my many thanks Captain Bleucubber." Bleucubber let out a grunt in response as the transmission ended.

The officers stationed at the Plisboro Cove Security Force could only hang their heads as their chief briskly walked out of his office and passed them all with a grin spread wide across his face.

"Poor Oregano…" One officer mumbled "Already being targeted by the marines." Another chimed in. "Hell and now the guy might run into '8-Fold' right off the bat too!" a third moaned wondering if the boy they watched grow up in town would soon meet his demise.

Suddenly a voice rose out from the rest with a boom. "Don't you worry about him for a second!" The voice came from an officer who had the bill of his hat pulled down way over his face. He then lifted it up dramatically to reveal himself. It was Dill. The other officers were shocked.

"Weren't you given the rest of the day off Dill?!" Dill simply laughed as he responded. "I felt it was a little suspicious of the chief to give a half day to anyone so I decided to stay." The officers were amazed. "So you heard the conversation the chief just had with Bleucubber?!" Dill smirked as he replied. "Yep I sure did. He won't be stopped this early, so don't sweat it fellas!I won't be butting heads with chief like he might have expected either. I trust my little bro all the way."

**2 hours later back on the Cherry Maria**

Oregano and Polen had by now eaten their breakfast and then went right to fixing up the ship to better fit their needs. They didn't have that much time last night so they made sure to take advantage of this time they had to kill as they got closer and closer to the island they had spotted earlier.

"Phewie alright Polen, looks like we have things looking like a home now!" Oregano exclaimed as his pet koala gave him a weak nod, trying his best to stay awake. Oregano laughed as he scooped up the marsupial and placed him on his shoulder. "I'm gonna go clean my guns on the top deck and keep an eye on the island. I'll find you a nice sunny spot to take a nap in so you can get some rest as well."

With that Oregano grabbed his rifle and pistols from their cases. As he picked the firearms up he realized he should really keep them on him at all times since it was just Polen and himself on the ship alone out in this dangerous ocean. 'You never know what might happen' he thought to himself. Then picking up his cleaning supplies Oregano proceeded to the steps and walked up towards the top deck.

Polen happily sighed as he was carried up the stairs and felt the warm sun begin to hit his marbled beige and grey colored fur when they reached the top deck. Polen was then set down in a nice area at the front of the ship where he had made the nest of branches last night and drifted deep into koala dreamland.

Oregano grinned as he looked out at the sea. The sun was shimmering off the waves before him and the land in the distance was getting closer and closer. So close that he could actually make out distinguishable features like trees and such.

"Oh wow neat! I bet we will be at that island in an hour now!" Oregano whispered to himself as he continued to look over the landmass in the distance. It was wide at the bottom and came up dramatically to a raised point at a top. "Wow it really kinda looks like one big mountain or volcano...hopefully a dormant one if so." he laughed as he walked over to a door on the cabin wall that was beside the door that led to the stairs to the lower deck. It was a simple storage closet and he took out a foldable teal and green striped chair and placed it out in the middle of the deck. He then took out his rifle and his cleaning kit and proceeded to clean his guns as the Cherry Maria moved closer to its destination.

**1 Hour later**

Oregano had finished cleaning his guns a little while ago and took the remaining time to properly load them with bullets. "There we go!" He exclaimed with pride. "Looking better than they were when I bought them!" He added with a laugh at the cheesy expression he had just made. He then stood up from his foldable chair and walked over to the front of the ship. Before him was the island. It was a very unusual sight because all he saw was a steep cliff of grey rock with a few trees sticking out of the side here and there.

"I guess this isn't the right side to dock at, I'll sail around…" Oregano began to say but was cut off once his eyes noticed two ships off the coast of the steep cliff before him. "What in the world are they doing there?" He wondered as he held up his rifle and peered through its scope.

To his surprise he could now see that they were both pirate ships. After examining the two flags he also realized they were ships of two different crews. One flag had what appeared to be a flaming horse with a human skull for a head. The other flag had a skull with the number '8' on its forehead and it was surrounded by eight white squares making a octagon pattern.

"How bizarre is this?" Oregano muttered with curiosity. The ship with the eight squares on the flag was about two times the size of the other one, and with close examination and the fact that Oregano was steadily getting closer to the two ships he noticed a line of many large caves easily reaching one hundred feet in height behind the ships at the base of the steep cliff.

"Wow those are some massive caves back there!" Oregano exclaimed. The closer he got to the scene the sheer size began to hit him more and more. Oregano's awe of the caves ended upon the realization that these pirates he was now getting close to might not be too friendly so he raised the sails and slowly rode the waves as he waited for the two ships to do something in hopes of giving him a sign of what they were all about. Many shouts could be heard coming from the ships as Oregano steadily approached. Some shouts sounded like they were roaring with laughter, others however sounded like they were full of terror.

**At the Scene of the two unknown pirate ships**

"Please trust us we didn't mean to trespass on your territory! Honest!" A voice cried out suddenly from the smaller ship. "Yes yes it was all a misunderstanding!" Another frightened voice added in response to his fellow crew-mate's comment.

"Baiaiaia!" An unusual laugh echoed from the larger ship. "So this is the Burning Stallion Pirates eh? Pitifully begging for mercy before me." The voice the laugh belonged to continued. "The lot of you are captained by Barnaban Nooseclef with a bounty of five million beli... I figured his crew wouldn't be so easy to intimidate."

A desperate reply was then heard from the Burning Stallion ship in after hearing the laughing man's comment. "We know when to give up, just let us leave and you will never see us again '8 fold' I can assure you of that." The voice triggered a chain reaction of voices on the ship to mutter the word "Captain!" Fear grew far worse for the Burning Stallion Pirates after seeing their own captain beg in front of their eyes.

"You know, normally I would be in a more forgiving mood Captain Barnaban, but word has it that a marine ship has been spotted heading in this direction so I am not too happy right now. Too many noses in my business here ya know? This is my turf and can't just anybody come waltzing in." Replied the laughing man from before them, he was known as '8 Fold' Remey.

"Soooo… tell Davy Jones hello for me will ya? Baiaiaia!" he then shouted as he suddenly outstretched his hands forward. His hands were pressed together and his fingers were pointed out towards the smaller ship before him. Then slowly separating his hands to reveal his palms to the sky, like one would do when opening a book, a sudden sound resembling shuffling paper could be heard on the scene. The noise was then quickly followed by the terrified screams of the Burning Stallion Pirates as their ships frame began to splinter and crack.

**Back on The Cherry Maria**

Oregano could not believe his eyes. What he had just seen was beyond his imagination.

"Crap, looks like they are doing some serious business here!" Oregano muttered. "Shoot it's our first day as pirates and we get hit with this!" Oregano sighed with a slight hint of humor in his voice. He really had rotten luck and he knew it.

As he continued to watch the area before him however, much to his surprise he saw a small fishing boat sneak around the coast of the island and enter one of the many caves in the cliff. It was very fast and made sure it got out of the area as fast as it could after seeing the action that just took place.

Oregano was very intrigued by this sight but knew that now was not the time to let his curiosity get the best. He ran over to the sails and lowered them as quickly as he could. Oregano then continued over to the wheel and began to turn and steer the rudder so that they could get the heck out of there. He needed to get Polen and himself out of the sight of the ship with eight squares on its flag and fast. Much to his dismay though, they had already been spotted because the ship was now approaching them at a very fast rate. "Ayeeeeegh! Oregano uttered some kind of guttural noise as he guessed things would probably turn out the same way for him as it had for the horse flagged pirates before him.

So he quickly jumped into action and slung his rifle off his back and quickly took aim at the approaching ship. Too his surprise there was only one man present on the top deck that he could see. He was the helmsman and he had very lanky arms compared to his barrel shaped body. "Alright I guess I'll spook that guy and hope they leave me be!" Oregano lined up his cross hair with the man and then moved his sights slightly over beside him. "Here we go!" he shouted but once he was about to pull the trigger a sudden loud noise threw him off his 'lack' of a target. Oregano was scared to death that he might have actually taken the guy's head off by accident since the jolt actually made him pull the trigger as well. Luckily the bullet didn't turn Oregano into a murderer however as it whizzed by the man's ear missing him by only inches. The loud noise that had scared Oregano was quickly determined to be feedback coming from a den den mushi hooked up to a speaker on a ship steadily approaching from behind the eight squares ship.

Once the feedback stopped a loud voice echoed "Halt this is Lieutenant Commander Difetto of the Marines!" Oregano was shocked at all the commotion that was around him. However what shocked him the most was the next line the Lieutenant Commander shouted. "We are looking for a young pirate by the name of Oregano. It would appear he has caused a great commotion at Plisboro cove..."

The voice then paused as a slight laugh was heard from the transmission. "Heh, however I'm sure we can find a fresh rookie like him in no time though, as for you '8 Fold' Remey! Looks like your days of hiding around these parts have run out! We won't let a bounty head like you go now that we have you in our sights!"

Then a soft voice whispered from the marine ship while the transmission was still going on. "Excuse me but what about that second ship behind '8 Fold', Lieutenant Commander? By the looks of the reports we have received I am quite certain that is Oreg…" The voice was then shut up by Difetto as he interrupted. "Hush now and prepare for battle!"

Oregano couldn't believe his ears - The marines were after him! However these marines seemed much keener on capturing the captain on the ship before him luckily. Suddenly the booms of cannon balls filled the air as Oregano watched the marine ship launch the first attack on Remey and his crew. They were ignoring him completely, little did they know their target really was right in front of them like the whispering voice had tried to reveal.

"Whew I better take advantage of this!" Oregano shouted. Knowing that taking to the open sea would prove to be foolish since he knew he couldn't outrun a Marine ship, he decided to take his chances and sail into one of the caves at the bottom of the cliff-face like he saw the fishing boat do earlier. It was worth a shot and he had no time to waste since the two ships that were both seemingly after him were now busy dealing with each other.

"This is quite the adventure aye Polen?!" Oregano shouted as the Cherry Maria was now heading towards one of caves in the cliff side. After no reply Oregano looked to where he had laid his koala earlier and saw he was still napping. "Goodness! How can you sleep through this excitement?!" He laughed as everything suddenly got darker and cooler around him.

They had now fully entered one of the many caves. "Well thanks Mr. '8 Fold' Remey. I owe you one!" he laughed as the stream of water in the cave pulled the ship further and further into who knows where. "Theses caves have to lead somewhere I guess?! Where else could that fisherman be doing in going inside of them?" Oregano muttered. "It will be a good hiding place from the marines if nothing else." He reassured himself as he slung his rifle that he had been gripping tightly onto his back. He was hoping that both Remey and Difetto were only focusing on each other instead of him as he made a break for it.

**Meanwhile on Remey's Ship**

"Damn Marines!" Captain Remey shouted in anger. "How did we get caught up in this mess? I will make sure whoever that damn Oregano is that made them come to this island pays for putting my new favorite hot spot in jeopardy!"

Meanwhile the helmsman Oregano missed by inches was still busy freaking out that he almost got shot. "Ugggg I can't hear out of my left ear! Ah I think my eardrum is bleeding! Shit it hurts! I hate my position! I need better cover out here! I'm out in the open! We need to build a wall or something! I almost died! I can't believe it!" the man kept rambling until he was cut off.

"Andreli shut up! You're talking too much! We have bigger things to worry about now like the Marine ship attacking us you fool!" The helmsman quieted up and quickly ran and got some cannon balls to fire back after hearing this response from his fellow crew-mate. "Plus it seems that guy who almost shot you is going to get what's coming to him. He just took the 'The Unforgivable Path'. Poor guy out of all the caves to choose to go into, he picks the one that kills people." The crew-mate continued.

Andreli began to smile goofily and as he ran over to grab more cannon balls he shouted. "Excellent that really cheers me up!"

Then the voice of Remey roared over his ship "Return fire crew!"

"Aye aye captain!" his crew responded as cannon balls filled the air.

**Now in 'The Unforgivable Path'**

"We got away!" Oregano shouted as the Cherry Maria was swept along by the current in the cave and Oregano couldn't help but smile at this. This was starting out to be the adventure he was hoping for. He couldn't believe a cave like this could have such a strong current that would pull a ship deeper and deeper into an island at such a speed.

As they continued to coast down the canal a sudden voice cried out causing a great echo to fill the cave. "Heeeeelp meeeeeeeee!" the voice pleaded. It sounded very weak but it nearly scared Oregano and Polen half to death. This loud echo had managed to wake the snoozing koala up and made him desperately run in circles until he decided to pounce on Oregano's face.

"Poleeeeeeeen!" Oregano shouted with a muffled voice due to Polen's fur filling his mouth. He himself was scared of the loud echo as well and Polen's body was blocking his sight causing him to panic even more. That shout might have been from a ghost, a ghoul or a monster for all he knew. Could they have gone into a haunted cave? Or the lair of some demon? Oregano's imagination was getting the best of him so he quickly pried the koala's tightly gripping arms off of his head and moved him over to sit on his shoulder.

"Alright Polen let's calm down for a moment." He whispered to the koala as he caught his breath. "I think I am going to shout back." He muttered as he held up his hand and signaled off with his fingers. "1, 2, 3! Helloooooooo! Where are yoouuuu?!" Oregano shouted, his voice bounced off the walls of the cave and echoed throughout it.

After waiting a couple seconds a voice replied "I am down here!" it wasn't a shout this time, in fact it sounded relatively close. Oregano ran over to the side of his ship to see if he could see anything or anyone for that matter. What he saw shocked him to the core. In the water beside his ship a man was casually doing a backstroke and keeping up with them. "What the heck?!" Oregano shouted after seeing this sight before him. Both his and Polen's mouths fell open in amazement.

The swimming man then noticed Oregano and Polen watching him swim from the side of the ship and waved up as he spoke. "Can you throw me a rope or a ladder please? I have experienced a great deal today and my body and soul are both very tired."

Oregano nodded and quickly ran over to the supply closet and grabbed a rope. He threw it down at the man and tied the end he was holding to a hook on the side of the ship used to hold fishing rods in place. Oregano then watched as the rope tightened and the swimmer pulled himself up and out of the water and eventually flopped down onto the deck of The Cherry Maria.

"Thank you very much." The man said to Oregano as he then proceeded to sit cross-legged on the deck before Oregano and Polen. The man was in his early forties and wore a black swimmers cap on the top of his head that held back most, but not all of his spiky white hair. The remaining hair stuck out on the sides of his head and out the back which resembled flames in how it protruded. For his face he sported a slightly wrinkled forehead and had a few scars here and there on it as well. He had a beard of stubble from not shaving for a couple days and a thin white mustache to boot.

Moving down to his clothes the man wore a simple black button up jacket with many gold medallions on the chest. Underneath the jacket he wore a navy and gray striped v-neck shirt. As for his legs he wore long black corduroy pants and shiny black boots on his feat. He also had two sabers on his waist that were attached to a leather belt.

Oregano looked the man over and let out a laugh. "Sure thing man happy I could help! What were you doing swimming in this cave anyways?" The man then cleared his throat as he looked down at his crossed legs. "My ship was just sunk and I was sucked into the current of this cave." Oregano jumped up in surprise. "What no way?! You were in the ship that that Remey guy attacked?" The man nodded his head slowly as he replied. "Luckily for me I'm a very good swimmer…" the man paused for a moment then looked up at Oregano.

"The name's Barnaban though... Captain Barnaban Noosecleft of the Burning Stallion Pirates." the man then exclaimed to Oregano as he then offered his hand for a shake.

"Ohh nice to meet you! I'm Oregano!" Oregano responded as he shook Barnaban's hand. He then pointed to Polen and Oregano continued "This little guy here is my pet…" Oregano quickly stopped seeing Polen's eyes light up with fire at the mention of the 'p' word. "This guy here is my faithful, amazing, lookout! His name is Polen!" Oregano corrected quickly which pleased Polen greatly. The koala slowly gave a nod of approval at Oregano's correction. He never had cared to be referred to as a pet, he felt he was much too good for a title like that.

Barnaban smiled "It is nice to meet you both!" he said. "Oh and I know that I may be from a different pirate crew and everything but you have my word, I am not a threat to you. Especially since you saved me from swimming down this cave."

Oregano smiled and gave him a thumbs up. "Awesome to hear man!"Then it suddenly hit Barnaban that Oregano had gotten passed Remey so he asked.

"Oregano how did you manage to get past Remey and his crew by the way?" Oregano grinned as he replied. "Well I can thank the Marines for that, they showed up just in time and started a battle with Remey and his crew right as they were in the process of coming to attack me. Oh and speaking of Remey, how the heck did he do what he did to your ship?!"

Barnaban then nodded his head as he spoke. "Oh the Marines huh? I wonder what business they have here? Oh and as for Remey… I will tell you more about him later... That topic is anything but a conversation designed for small talk. "

Oregano hesitantly laughed as he answered. "Well to answer your first question, the Marines are after me actually."

Barnaban's eyes widened "After you?! Do you even have a bounty?" Oregano shook his head after hearing this and replied. "Well no, but the Head Security Chief back at my home town apparently alerted them of my presence. He isn't too fond of how I left the island. In fact he sent cannon balls flying towards me as a going away present." Oregano chirped.

Barnaban was very confused at all that he had just heard but decided to just accept everything for now. Oregano then quickly shouted out a question that suddenly jumped in his head. "Oh so what of your crew Captain Barnaban?!"

Barnaban sighed. "Yes I do hope they are all alright. My last order to them was to enter a cave and swim to the central lagoon where all paths lead. It is there that the only city on this island resides. That was the plan so that we could all meet up and regroup there and avoid Remey the best we could. "

Oregano nodded as he put his hand to his chin. "Wowie so these caves really do lead somewhere!" Oregano responded as Barnaban nodded back.

"Oh so you have never heard of Yortori Raise huh? Well yes this island is completely void of human life on its outer cliffs as I'm sure you saw. Only a few trees live out there so the outside of this island is relatively dead. The caves at the cliff bottom are what lead to the central lagoon and ultimately Sukini City, the only place humans can live here on Yortori Rise. All the caves on this side of the island flow into the island and reach Sukini, and then in order to leave Sukini City you exit through similar caves on the opposite side. It truly is an interesting island wouldn't you say?"

Oregano nodded. It really was an interesting island from the sound of it, he couldn't wait to see more of it. Then Barnaban laughed "Oh and Oregano, could you tell me which cave we are in now? I couldn't tell which cave I got sucked into because I was under water. There are ten caves that lead into Sukini City. One of them is incredibly dangerous however… Hmm well let me make it easier for you. As long as you didn't happen to choose the third cave from the left we are fine. It should have had a large 'x' painted over it."

Oregano paused for a moment as he though back and tracked through his memories for a moment and it suddenly came back to him. "Ummmm yeah I think that actually is the one I picked…" he muttered innocently.

"WHAAAAT?!" Barnaban shouted. "This is awful news! We are going to die!" Oregano and Polen's eyes began to water hearing this outburst and their souls began to wither away. "Don't say something like that man! You are going to give us heart attacks!" Oregano yelped back at Barnaban.

Barnaban placed his head into his palms and pressed tightly. "Forgive me you two, It's just that only a handful of people have ever survived this path. I honestly don't know why the island locals don't just block it off. I guess they felt a red 'x' is enough to keep ships out… but it didn't seem to work for you two did it?!" Barnaban exclaimed with sorrow heavily resting on his voice.

Oregano let out a gulp after hearing this and then replied. "Hey! It was the heat of the moment and I was just trying to get away from the two ships that were after my head!" He then scratched Polen's fuzzy head to calm him down as he continued to speak. "Oh but hey, it hasn't been too bad so far, when is it supposed to get scary? The Cherry Maria here is taking this path like a champ!" Barnaban was about to reply but a sound of roaring water suddenly caught their attention and its sound flooded the entire area around them.

"I would guess now…" Barnaban muttered.


End file.
